Organizing co mmittee

 
 

---

Poster presentation 
325 
EFFECT OF Cuscuta europeae GLYCOPROTEINS
ON CANCER CELLS 
 
Z.S. Khashimova, K.A. Kakhorova, M.K. Salakhutdinova,
М.S. Аbdullahodzaeva, Yu.I. Oshchepkova
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 
Despite the existence of a number of theories of ontogenesis, including those aimed 
at creating new anticancer drugs, there are many outstanding oncological problems. 
This indicates not only the complexity, but also the need to develop new approaches, 
both to cancer chemotherapy and to understanding the overall problem. One such 
approach is early cancer diagnosis and treatment. So far, among oncological diseases, 
cervical cancer remains one of the most pressing problems in oncogynecology. 
Professor M.S. Abdullahodzhaeva and co-workers found distinctive dispersed 
luminous particles (DLP) in polarized light on the surface of epithelial cells of the 
cervix of cancer patients. Such dispersed luminous particles (DLP) appeared only in 
cases of diagnosed cervical cancer. Normally, as well as in inflammatory or dystrophic 
process in the cervix, these particles were not detected. In this regard, the purpose of 
this work was to investigate DLP in cultured cancer cells and study the effect of various 
anticancer drugs on them. A transplanted HeLa cell culture was used to study the nature 
of DLP.
HeLa cells in an amount of 1 million/ml were placed to 24-well plates and cultured in 
5 ml of DMEM growth medium containing an antimycotic antibiotic, L-glutamine, 10% 
fetal calf serum in a CO2 incubator for 24 hours. Then the cells were removed from the 
surface plastic with versin, washed with culture medium, and the cell suspension was 
placed to a defatted glass slide, on which a non-fixed smear was made with another glass 
slide. The smear dried in air for 3 to 5 minutes. After that, the glass slide was placed 
smear down on the stage of the «Axiovert 40 MAT» reflective optical microscope, where 
the DLP were visualized. When viewed under a microscope in polarized light, 40% of the 
cells showed DLP, i.e. not all cells in transplanted HeLa cancer culture contain such 
structures. Subsequently, we studied clinical antitumor drugs with a known mechanism 
of action, namely, methotrexate and cisplatin on HeLa cell culture. To do this, HeLa 
cells were seeded into 96-well plates in an amount of 20000–30000 cells/mL in 100 μL 
of DMEM medium with 10% fetal calf serum and cultured at 37°C in a CO2 incubator. 
A day later, the preparations were administered at doses of 100, 10, and 1 μg/ml per 100 
μl of the medium, and the cells were cultured for 24 hours. Cells without drug exposure 
served as control. Cytotoxic activity was assessed by incorporation of MTT into cells. A 
high cytotoxic activity of drugs (70-90%) on HeLa cells was established. Microscopic 
examination revealed DLP in control cells, but no intracellular DLP were found in the 
experimental samples.
Since DLP is observed on the surface of epithelial cancer cells, we studied the effect 
of carbohydrate-containing proteins on HeLa cells. Proteins were obtained from the 
seeds of Cuscuta europeae by extraction with 80% saline ammonium sulfate. The 
content of carbohydrates was determined and the hemagglutinating activity of the 
protein was established. Proteins exhibit high cytotoxic activity on HeLa cells. 
Microscopic examination did not reveal DLP in the experimental samples, in contrast to 
the control ones. 

---

Poster presentation 
326